Richland man missing for months ID’d as person found dead near Highway 240
A 33-year-old man, who disappeared from his sister’s Richland home, was identified as the person found dead last month in the median of Highway 240.
Dental records confirmed it was Christopher Flores who was found near the intersection of the highway and Interstate 182 on Nov. 20, Benton County Coroner Bill Leach told the Tri-City Herald.
Flores was carrying an identification card but officials needed to confirm it was him.
Flores was living in a central Richland home with his sister when he left to walk to the store one night in September but never returned.
His family is devastated by his death, having driven by that area without knowing he was there, Leach said.
His body was spotted near the eastbound lanes when a passing motorist stopped to secure their load, the Washington State Patrol said.
It’s believed he’d likely had been dead in the dense brush of the median since shortly after he disappeared.
How he died still remains a mystery. An autopsy found no wounds, leading investigators to believe he wasn’t hit by a car or in a fight.
Flores struggled with drugs, but it’s not clear if that led to his death, Leach said. The Washington State Patrol crime lab is conducting tests following the autopsy.
This story was originally published December 6, 2024 at 12:50 PM.